Education

PhD, Boston University

MA, Boston University

AB, Hope College

Research Interests -- Hormonal Signal Transduction

Hormones are molecular signals that alter cell function. Understanding how hormones convey their signals is critical for understanding basic cell biology and disease states, and for designing intervention strategies. Research in my laboratory focuses on defining the molecular signal transduction pathways of hormone action relating to the control of differentiation and intracellular calcium dynamics in the myometrium (uterine smooth muscle).

Mechanisms involved in smooth muscle intracellular calcium control

Signaling crosstalk: The control of uterine contraction/relaxation is critical to the maintenance of pregnancy and the efficient delivery of the neonate. Uterine contractants such as oxytocin increase intracellular calcium in uterine muscle cells by increasing influx and release from intracellular stores secondary to phospholipase C (PLC) activation. Relaxants oppose these actions by regulatory phosphorylation mechanisms. Some of these signaling pathways require scaffolding proteins that localize the components in the same region of the cell. We are determining the biochemical basis for the regulatory role of phosphorylation, the requirements for interaction with scaffolding proteins, and changes in key signaling pathways that occur during pregnancy. These changes involve alteration in the expression and intracellular localization of proteins. We use biochemical and cell and molecular biological approaches as well as studying muscle physiology.

Calcium dynamics: We are studying hormonal effects on intracellular calcium dynamics by single cell immunofluorescence and effects of hormones on ion channel activity and expression. We are using Q-RTPCR and siRNA suppression techniques to alter expression of specific channel proteins and determining the consequence on calcium dynamics.